Wild Flowers Sown

Wild Flowers Sown

In the past I have scattered wild flower seed in various places over the grass. Sometimes I have trodden the seeds in, sometimes covered them with soil and other times I have dug a small square out of the grass and sown the seeds, but the grass is far to dominant and the flowers get out competed. In the last week or so I have taken a more proactive approach and have tried several other methods.

While digging out a vegetable bed I remove the turf and place in a mound upturned elsewhere to leave mainly exposed soil with which to sow the wild flower seeds. One or two of the mounds I then sprinkle compost to cover the seeds.

Another approach has been to lift the soil and over turn it but leave it in place, then sow the seeds and cover with compost. A third approach has been to dig out a new bed, the same as of vegetables, and sow the seeds direct and rake over. Lastly a fourth approach has been to cut an area of grass very short, sown the seeds and then sprinkle compost over the grass just to suppress it a bit.

Hopefully one of these methods will work, obviously the proper dug beds of wild flower seeds are likely to work, no reason why not, but I'd like some of the less work intensive ways to also work.

I bought 1.5kg of "Westland's Nature's Haven Easy Wildflower" mix and sprinkled these over a mound or bank of exposed soil. These had compost then covering them. This packet is supposed to cover 6 sq metre.

I also bought, because they were half price, 3 different "Adam Henson" 1 kg Wild Flower mix's. Birds Welcome, Wildlife Welcome and Butterflies and Bees Welcome. Each one of these are supposed to cover 10 sq metres of ground. The Birds mix is annual flowers, the Wildlife mix is perennial and the Butterfly mix is also annual. Strangely the garden centre had reduced these to half price as they weren't selling and the display stand looked like it had only sold quarter of the packets since I first saw the display stand about six months ago. I would have thought the Countryfile presenter's name would have sold a lot more of these or perhaps there just aren't enough people wanting to set aside 10 sq metres of ground for wildflowers or perhaps they were simply priced too high. Either way, half price was enough to get me to try them where as full price at £15 wasn't worth it.

Click to enlarge all photos

Wildlife Welcome bed

Birds Welcome bed

This bed is just an extension of the Wildlife flower bed.

Butterflies and Bees Welcome bed

A narrow 18 inch bed. If successful I can expand this bed to the right. Upturned turf, seeds sown and then compost applied to cover.

Westland Wildflower mix bed

This bed is simply the turf from a vegetable bed, upturned, sown with wild flower seed then light covering of compost to hold the seed.

Along with the wildflower seed beds I also dug a bed for sunflowers. I simply sprinkled a lot of seed and raked over the soil.

Sunflower bed

This is another thin bed, 18 inch wide to the south of the pond. I'm hoping they can support each other and provide plenty of seed for the birds as well as for us to eat and sow next year.

Overview of the field

The daily photo taken each morning (or at least most mornings) to show the progress of the field. Click photo to enlarge.

The field has a lot more going on this year and hopefully will be very colourful by July!

Random Wildflower seed sprinkled in the short cut grass a few weeks ago

I have no idea what these seeds were as they were collected last year and just stuck in a pot. Sprinkled over cut grass and then lightly covered over with compost. This is to the west of the pond.

Wildflowers around the pond

In addition to the other beds of wild flowers the pond banks also have flowers that were sown in 2013 but these have now self seeded. Whereas a great mixture were sown the variety has dwindled as the most dominant ones have now taken over. It'll be interesting to see what comes up this year.





Turf mounds
I realised when I made the first mount of turf that if I laid the turfs in a hap-hazard way with plenty of gaps in the gaps provide excellent holes for spiders, frogs, newts and voles. They are an interesting habitat on their own as well as breaking up the flat field into areas. It is also noticeable that they also break up the wind and help to shelter other plants. During frosty mornings you can also see that they provide hot and cold areas. I've started to make these into curved banks, east-west as well as north-south banks for added variety.

Old Bonfire site

The old bonfire site was seeded with random wildflower seeds back in the Autumn as well as various bulbs sown (Daffodil, Grape Hyacinth and Tulips). I got fed up of seeing this bare patch and thought I'd make it a bit more colourful not expecting it to work but it has grown very well. I think there are corncockle flowers and daisies appearing. It'll be interesting in June/July to see what is really there.



Front Garden, Old Pond Area 

I haven't done much with the tiny front garden although it will become just for wildlife and birds. The old pond was already filled in when we moved in but had a big depression so I have filled with manure just to level it up a bit. Daffodils were planted around the edges of the garden with a couple of bushes (Butterfly bush) and the grass is deliberately left to grow so the Dandelions can appear. A weed to most people but these are excellent for Gold Finches and yesterday I saw a Green Finch munching away at a Dandelion flower. Brambles coming out of the hedge on the right give the birds more cover and a good watchful perching place next to the feeders. The pond had a packet of corn flowers sprinkled over it and they have now germinated. It'll be interesting to see how this turns out. Yellow Flag Iris is still going strong. This garden was full of bees and hover-flies and other insects yesterday in the sun. The Dandelions seem to attract an awful lot of insects.

Update
The Adam Henson range of Wildflower seeds doesn't have a list of seeds. I couldn't find a list anywhere so I emailed them and a few hours later I got a list of seeds from them....excellent service!

Butterflies and Bees Welcome List

			Percentages
Cynoglossum firmament				5%
Alyssum White				0.50%
Nigella Mixed				2.50%
Adonis aestivalis				3%
Poppy Shirley mixed				0.68%
Aster Mixed				1.68%
Antirrhinum				0.17%
Amaranthus caudatus				0.50%
Virginia Stocks				1%
Larkspur				1.35%
Echium Mixed				1.50%
Cornflower Mixed				3.86%
Cosmos Mixed				6.75%
Eschscholtzia Mixed				1.68%
Clary				1%
Gypsophila White				1.68%
Candytuft				1.68%
Chrysanthemum Mixed				1.68%
Mignonette				0.83%
Night Scented Stocks				1.68%
Calendula Mixed				5%
Dimorphotheca Mixed				1.50%
Coreopsis tinctoria				0.83%
Rudbeckia mixed				1%
Linum mixed				3%
Corn Poppy				5%
Cornflower				25%
Corn Marigold				15%
Corn Chamomile				5%

Wildlife Welcome

			Percentages
Heath Bedstraw				0.2%
Meadow Vetchling				1%
Night Flowering Catchfly				1.8%
Birdsfoot Trefoil				1.6%
Black Knapweed				2.4%
Suckling Clover				0.8%
Salad Burnet				2.5%
Meadow Buttercup				2.5%
Ox-eye Daisy				2.5%
Ribwort Plantain				2%
Lady's Bedstraw				2.1%
Musk Mallow				1.1%
Yarrow				1.5%
White Clover (Rivendel)				1%
Corn Poppy				2%
Corn Flower				8%
Corn Marigold				5%
Corn Chamomile				2%
Browntop Bent Highland				5%
Red Fescue Maxima				20%
Crested Dogstail				20%
Smoothed Stalked Meadow Grass Evora				15%

Birds Welcome

Sunflowers Untreated				20%
Buckwheat				15%
White Millet				15%
Red Millet				15%
Sainfoin				11%
Mustard				5%
Phacelia				5%
Quinoa				5%
Crimson Clover				3%
Gold of Pleasure				2.50%
Corn Flower				2%
Corn Marigold				1.50%

Spring is almost here

Spring is almost here

There is normally one day around this time of year that suddenly makes me realise that Spring is almost here and it kick starts me into sowing seeds and readying the veg beds, and today was that day. It isn't just being aware of a warmer sun, it's a mixture of things. Many buds on the fruit bushes are looking as though they are about to open, Daffodils burst into colour and the Hawthorn leaves have started to show on the odd bush, the Crocuses are almost all out and the greenhouse feels very warm now.

Looking back at February's weather and comparing it to the first 10 days of March I can clearly see the difference. The average temperature "High" in the first 10 days of March is nearly 3.5 degrees C higher than in February and the number of hours of sun in Feb averaged out as 2.2 hrs per day compared with 4.4 hrs for March so far. Clearly a big difference.

The average UV index for Feb was 1.2 and so far in March it has averaged 2.1 and yesterday the UV index averaged 3 for the day which is the first time it has reached this level since September and so March has the same risk to your skin as September has.

The last day of air frost / freezing temperatures was 2nd of May last year and 1st of May in 2013 so we still have a way to go before the freezing temperatures stop but since Onion sets are normally happy as long as the temperature doesn't fall to minus 5 or so and since the coldest night (air temp) has been -3.5 this winter I think it is safe to plant Onions, which is what I did today as well as Early Onward Peas and some Field Beans.

I also looked at the worms in the compost heap today, as I do most weeks, and the worms are closer to the surface and are far more active than previous weeks. The Algae and duckweed in the pond has also started to multiply as well as the pond snails. I also saw the first Brimstone Butterfly yesterday as well as a couple of Bees today and this week has seen the Tomato plant seeds germinate in the greenhouse. The Willow has had it's Catkins out for a while now and the grass is growing and now needs cutting. Also the Solar lights along the path are brighter

The wind for March has come from the North West so far but today has seen it change to the South East and the forecast for the next week is also South / South East and so is yet another indication of better things to come.

So many pointers to Spring being around the corner.

With a tax rebate of £1900 paid into my account today it can only mean one thing.....off to the garden centre tomorrow! 

February

Temperature

***********

Maximum February 2015 Temperature outside was day: 25 at 13.3 Deg C 

The average high for February was 8.2 Deg C 

The average low for February was 1.17 Deg C 

Minimum February 2015 Temperature outside was day: 10 at -2.8 Deg C 

Average February 2015 temperature outside is: 7.48 Degrees C

There were 6 freezing days  and the last day of air frost was 27 in February

First frost day was: 1

Solar

****

Potential Electricity production (24 sq Metres of panels / 4KW system): 126.19 kWhs (£16.41)

There were 61.87 Hours of sun (>120 W/m2 irradiance) in February

The Average UV Index was: 1.21946

The sunniest day was: 9 with an average UV Index of: 2.56606

The dullest day was: 12 with an average UV Index of: 0.181467

Cloud

*****

Average cloud percentage: 67.03%

There were:

   Awful Days: 2 - Totally dark clouds all day

   Dull Days: 12 - Mainly cloud all day

   OK Days: 2 - Sunny spells

   Nice Days: 5 - High cloud, fair amount of sun

   Very Nice Days: 3 - Almost no cloud all day

Wind

****

(This site sees 40% less wind than Met Office suggests. Wind & Gusts are averaged over 10 minutes)

Max gust, not averaged over 10min was from NW, Jan 25th 2014, at 59.3 mph - perhaps tornado close by.

Taking into account wind is 40% down then this would have been around 100 mph

February 2015 Maximum gust of wind was day: 22 at 29.8 mph 

Windiest day was: 23 with an average speed of: 12.59 mph predominantly from a North Westerly direction

There were 0 days of gales (10min average wind speed above 34knots / 39.13mph) in February

Wind Rose for February 2015

 N (average:  0 mph) - 0 days

 NE (average:  5.93 mph) - 7 days

 E (average:  0 mph) - 0 days

 SE (average:  4.36 mph) - 2 days

 S (average:  0 mph) - 0 days

 SW (average:  5.52 mph) - 2 days

 W (average:  0 mph) - 0 days

 NW (average:  6.21 mph) - 17 days

The wind in February could produce a maximum 260.824 KWHs of power (£33.91) for a 4 metre blade turbine

Pressure

********

Lowest February 2015 pressure day was: 23 with 981.8 millbars

Highest February 2015 pressure day was: 8 with 1035.9 millbars

Rain

****

Total February 2015 rainfall was: 62.17mm

Wettest Day was: 1 with 13.5mm of rain which represents 21.72% of February rainfall

There were 10 rainy days (above 1mm) in February

There were 1650 minutes of rain or 27.5 hours (rounded up to nearest 10 minutes) in February

Rain rate was 2.27mm per hour.

139.51 cubic metres  (139509 litres / 30687.8 Gallons)  of rain fell on the plot of land in February

26.68 cubic metres  (26670.9 litres / 5866.78 Gallons)  of rain fell on the house area (House stables yard garden) in February

112.84 cubic metres  (112839 litres / 24821 Gallons)  of rain fell on the field in February

When raining, 2.27 litres / 0.5 Gallons of rain fell per hour on each square metre of ground in February

Each square metre saw 62.17 litres / 13.68 Gallons of rain in February

March so far

Temperature

***********

Maximum March 2015 Temperature outside was day: 7 at 16.71 Deg C 

The average high for March was 11.64 Deg C 

The average low for March was 1.57 Deg C 

Minimum March 2015 Temperature outside was day: 9 at -2.6 Deg C 

There were 3 freezing days  and the last day of air frost was 11 in March

First frost day was: 9

Solar

*****

Potential Electricity production (24 sq Metres of panels / 4KW system): 108.51 kWhs (£14.11)

There were 44.35 Hours of sun (>120 W/m2 irradiance) in March

The Average UV Index was: 2.11087

The sunniest day was: 10 with an average UV Index of: 3.09093

The dullest day was: 5 with an average UV Index of: 0.868141

Cloud

*****

Average cloud percentage: 31.43%

There were:

   Awful Days: 0 - Totally dark clouds all day

   Dull Days: 2 - Mainly cloud all day

   OK Days: 1 - Sunny spells

   Nice Days: 3 - High cloud, fair amount of sun

   Very Nice Days: 4 - Almost no cloud all day

Species Diversity

One of the aims of our grassed area within the little field is to have as much diversity, as many different plants, as possible for various reasons:

Diversity reasons

Insects

To increase the number of pollinators for our fruit and vegetables. After reading about pollination I learned that, for example, Strawberries are an aggregate fruit and that each little part, each little seed, needs to be fertilized and if this doesn't happen fully then the fruit can be mis-shapen and smaller. When you see a deformed Strawberry it is because not all parts of the fruit were pollinated. Since Strawberries need insects to pollinate them the more insects you have the better chance of a more full fertilization. Hopefully on days when Bees aren't around other insects will be. Better fertilization means better crops and often bigger crops. On top of this the blossom can appear during times when bees and hoverflies aren't about, such as cold periods or perhaps windy periods which can stop the pollination.  More diversity within plants and flowers will attract a wider range of insects and a better chance to pollinate. Since the field's main objective is food production we need as many insects as possible.

More overall insects will obviously mean more insects that we don't want because many are harmful to our crops  but we are hoping that nature will balance itself and provide enough insects so that some pray on others which may keep the ones we don't really want in check.

Without plant diversity, just a patch of Sprouts for example, we attract just a few species of insect, namely the Large and small white butterfly, which in turn devours the entire crop but by increasing diversity, perhaps by adding Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus), we give the insects we don't ideally want a second food source. This may not stop the Small white from destroying our Sprouts but it will give them a chance to lay their eggs on both the Sprouts and the Nasturtium which does, in theory, reduce the number of caterpillars on the Sprouts to reduce their effect.

It may not work but one idea is to use the knowledge we learnt this summer, namely, we saw the Small and Large White Butterfly come in at one end of the field and fly all the way down it to the Sprouts. We intend to plant Nasturtium within the wild grassy / wild flower end of the field to hopefully stop the White Butterflies before they get to the other end of the field. Also planting Nasturtium in between the Sprouts. Obviously netting the Sprouts will help but the less work we have to do, and the less netting we have to buy the better as we simply can't net everything.

The more diversity and more grasses and flowers we can plant, the more we can tap into this beneficial effect.

Flowers are Pretty

Another reason for diversity is that the more flowers the more interesting and pretty the field will be. Although the field is primarily for food production there is nothing to say it has to look like a boring farmers field or a drab allotment. The more diverse Flowers and Grasses the longer the flowering period will be within the field which in turn will keep the field looking better for longer. Since we have an interest in learning and understanding Wild Flowers the more different species the easier it will be to learn how to identify them. Not only this, the more flowers the less weeds and therefore less work maintaining the field. Half an acre may not sound a lot but when you have to weed it manually it becomes a massive space. Flowers planted between the vegetables will cover the bare soil and prevent weeds and since we won't mind a bit of colour in the vegetable beds we don't need to worry so much about their seeds getting into the soil. We'd much prefer Corn Flowers appearing amongst the carrots than nettles.

Wildlife

Another reason for having as much diversity in our plants as possible is for Wildlife reasons. We'd like to help wildlife since many species are endangered. The more birds the better as they are not only nice to see but eat insects (some of which are bad for our crops) and they make for a much better local environment. We spend an awful lot of time digging, harvesting, planting and maintaining the field for food that it is important to have an interest in our own local environment as it will help make working the field a pleasure. Helping Frogs and Toads is not only required but helping them helps us since they will eat a lot of slugs. The pond located in the field isn't there to help make a garden it is there because all animals and insects require water to drink, plus it is also it's own habitat for Dragonflies and many other insects and only increases our diversity which in turn helps our environment. 

Another purpose of the pond is that it becomes our drainage sink since the field floods and we need somewhere to send the water. If nature wants a lot of water in our field then it is better to work with nature rather than try and prevent the water from puddling. We could dig the entire field and allow the water to drain but that is too much work and we would like to keep and use the water. 

Protection and Security

Having a large diversity of flowers and plants gives us a chance of having a lot of plants suffer in extreme weathers and still allow us to attract pollinator since other flowers won't mind the adverse conditions. The diversity will also allow us to view more plants and see for ourselves the insects that are attracted which will therefore help us position flowers to protect our crops.

Drainage

Different flowers and plants will have different root depths and more roots will hopefully break up the clay more and allow drainage.